June 2011 pick ups

terjung wrote:The favorite card in my collection isn't a high dollar one. In fact, it doesn't really have any value at all, but it has a lot of worth to me. In my opinion, that's what the hobby is all about. This board is an avenue to share the fun and interests that we all have in this hobby without being all pretentious about it.

I appreciate the comments. And I'd have to agree: My favorite cards in my collection probably wouldn't fetch 25 bucks if I put them on ebay, but they're the only cards that I know I'm never gonna sell. I got a chance to spend a couple days with Bill Tuttle the year before he died of oral cancer. He was a spokesman for our spit tobacco awareness campaign, and we were doing a Minor League stadium event. I don't even remember where, I went to so many, but that was the only one I did with him. I think it was Memphis. Anyway, he was a great guy. Cussed more than anybody I've ever met. I brought along every one of his official cards and he signed 'em all for me. I spent the entire time asking about his playing days, then after about a day and a half it occurred to me that maybe I was boring him. I said, "If you want me to shut up about baseball, just let me know." He said, "Are you kidding me? Nobody recognizes me anymore. I haven't been asked about baseball in 20 years. Hell, these days no one wants to ask me anything (he was pretty severely disfigured in the face from oral surgery). It's nice to actually talk baseball with somebody again. Ask me whatever you wanna know."

And of course, I asked him who was the toughest pitcher he ever faced and the best hitter he ever saw. He had to think about the pitcher for awhile but he finally said, "Well, I couldn't hit Whitey (Ford) for s**t, but neither could anybody else. One guy who really drove me nuts, though, and nobody ever talks about him, was Frank Sullivan. Played for the Red Sox. Had a so-so career, but I could not hit that guy. We actually ended our careers together in Minnesota. I told him, 'Damn, I'm glad we're on the same team now. You've been wrecking my average for ten years!'" Then I prompted him again about the hitter. He didn't even hesitate. "Ted Williams. Hands down. No one close. God, I wish I could've copied his swing."

Yeah, my signed Tuttles aren't going anywhere.

Great story! Those are the priceless nuggets that help to make this hobby what it is.

Another HOF portrait just in......

Another Sovereign for the collection

And another one bites the dust

Awesome Waddell, Tony!

My first horizontal from The Monster, and my first couple of Southern Leaguers. Low grade, but still reasonably purty.

Thank you Jamie.......

Nice low grades, Jason. It makes the quest for the Monster more reasonable on a budget.

Lee

From the recent Mile High Auction, my first WaJo "fix" for 2011:

Wow! Great WaJo! Love that card! Congrats!

Brian - Thanks for your kind comments.
Val

As much as I love the Big Six, WaJo was The Man. Twenty-one years pitching for a team that won exactly two pennants in that time, and seven times finished last or next-to-last, and yet he still won 417 games.

Fantastic card. Congrats!

One step closer on the '34 World Wide Gum set tonight, plus a Polar Bear from The Monster.

Another green back t205 with a diamond cut. Don't see that too often in a t205

Couldn't resist.